The Marvel Special Presentation “The Punisher: One Last Kill” finds our antihero, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) in a similar state as to when he was last seen in Season 1 of “Daredevil: Born Again.” We find Frank at a crossroads, having apparently left his one-man crusade against crime in the past—or at least on a hiatus.

His peace—if it can be called peace, as he is haunted by the memories of his slain family, as well as visions of allies including Curtis Hoyle (Jason R. Moore, who reprises the role he played opposite Bernthal in “The Punisher” Netflix series) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll)—turns to violent conflict with the arrival of Ma Gnucci (Judith Light). She seeks vengeance against the Punisher for the deaths of her family members, including her favorite son.

When I say “violent conflict,” I do mean violent. Anyone who feared the jump from Netflix to Disney+ would soften the Punisher’s rougher edges can rest easy, as the majority of the special’s 48 minutes are dedicated to some of the most brutal and graphic violence we’ve ever seen from a live-action Punisher (the sole exception being perhaps 2008’s criminally overlooked “Punisher: War Zone,” starring the late great Ray Stevenson).

“Last Kill” isn’t all mindless action, however. Bernthal, who co-wrote the special with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, brings the same pathos and depth to the role that made the Netflix series a fan-favorite. The special is as much a character study as it is an action fest, with Frank wrestling with the rage, sadness and PTSD that drives him. In the special’s climax, he is forced to make a decision that will define his crusade against crime going forward.

If not for Green’s powerful cinematic eye, the special might feel more like a pilot for a revived “Punisher” series than it would a stand-alone mini-movie. Despite there being no currently announced plans for such a series, the Punisher’s profile in the MCU is about to take a big leap forward in this summer’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which will likely build from the new status quo set up by “One Last Kill.”

Recommended reading: “The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank.” This 2001 series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon took the Punisher back to basics after a lot of 90s weirdness (angels and demons were involved, it was a whole thing) and notably introduced the villainous crime boss Ma Gnucci. The 12-issue series served as the main source material for the 2004 “The Punisher” film starring Thomas Jane, but the Gnucci family was excised from the story in favor of John Travolta’s crime boss Howard Saint.

About the writer

Ben Hooper would like to take a moment to remind everyone that killing people, even criminals, is actually not cool. While he enjoys “Punisher” comics, movies and TV shows, he maintains that anyone with a Punisher skull bumper sticker is not to be trusted under any circumstances.